madhusudan-mutlur

Acts of Mental Aberrations

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Some of the man made events that happened from the beginning of the 21^st century were all in my view; acts of mental aberrations by those that made them happen, no matter what the causes were behind those unpardonable, horrible, heinous acts that caused untold misery in any form to mankind.

Though all of them have been well planned, executed in cold blood, they indicate a perverted thinking mind. It is a matter of belief that God and Satan co-exist, and that in the end devil is destroyed after havoc. Why, and what for all these happen is often explained as the acts of god, only to make the mankind understand to what extent a devilish thinking could cause. It is anybody’s guess whether lessons have been learnt or not. They keep happening.

Films of the genre of OMEN are released in sequences that indicate a very small example of God-Satan’s tussles!

I wish to list some of them, not in the order of their occurrence, without getting into their details.

Attack on World Trade Center.
Iraq war.
Iran involvement.
Unrest in the western Balkans.
Never ending Conflict between Israel and the Arabs.
Growing intolerance among and between religions.
Unrest in Zimbabwe.
Trouble in Afghanistan.
Misappropriation of US Aid by Pakistan.
Escalation of terrorists acts in India.
Terrorists attack In Mumbai.
Eternal strain in Indo- Pak relations.
The Kashmir dispute.
Demand for bifurcation of states in India.
Recalcitrant, irresponsible behaviour of Indian Politicians in the name of democracy triggering violence and later demanding withdrawal of all criminal cases against them.
War in Sri Lanka.
Military rule in Myanmar.
Global financial crisis.
Decline of Major Automobile companies in USA.
Attacks on Indian Students in Melbourne, Australia.

There may be many more. My attempt to name some of them is only to emphasize a point that PEACE is eluding and not lasting even for a brief period anywhere in the world for close to a decade beginning this Century. Are these events a BAD OMEN!!

Emergence of Hindu Temples.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:33:00 +0000

Monday, October 26, 2009

Preface:

Every religion has a place of worship of its own, where people belonging to that religion visit them to pray and be nearer to their god in mind and body to attain peace.

Being a Hindu, I wanted to know facts about temples hitherto unknown to me. Historical topics are fascinating and the more you explore, the more fascinating it becomes. As many Hindu temples have come up across USA, I felt this post would interest Indians and Americans living there to know certain Historical facts about how Hindu Temples emerged in India. As such, the readers need to exhibit patience to read through this lengthy post.

Visiting a temple is a way of life for Hindus. In times of need and difficulties we think of the God/Goddess, to seek our desires, and fulfill our vows. You will all appreciate, we are in difficult times, and everything seems to go wrong in the present day world. Our moments of happiness and mental equanimity have become far and few between, making us think of the almighty so often praying for his blessings.

There are ever so many TV channels that keep airing religious discourses, and showing places of holy temples therein. All have a universal message. Pray God and have faith in him. Awareness of Spiritualism is definitely on the increase, as one sees the large gathering of people of all ages listening in rapt attention and silence to the religious discourses.

Watching these programmes, the ‘Curious Animal’ in me awoke to explore the emergence of Hindu Temples- How, When and Where? Very soon, I found out it was not easy. The two books I opened to read were fascinating. The first one (1) - The Wonder That Was INDIA by A.L.Basham was an acclaimed masterpiece, and the other (2) – All about Hindu Temple by Swami Harhananda (A Sri Ramakrishna Math Publication). This apart, the information that is available on the Internet is so vast, one can dwell eternally or can get lost in direction. With this material to assist, I had to greatly resist my temptation of elaboration of valuable information, and yet include the essentials to be brief in narration. Believe me, it has not been easy. However, I have shown in italics, certain paras reproduced verbatim from the books to emphasise their historical authenticity.

History:

Being human, aware of the divine powers of the almighty, we need a place of worship to visualize the image or symbol of the God to establish direct contact with it. All such places of Worship became sacred, and they were referred as “DEVALAYM (House of God)”; “TEMPLE (A Building for practicing Religion)”; and the place associated with the Temple, came to be known as THEERTHA too.

It is believed that the Temples came into existence by the end of the VEDIC Period (Also Known as Protohistoric Period by the Historians) which was 1500-500 B.C. that is about 3500 to 2500 years dating from the present. This too came about following composition of HYMNS of Rg Veda during 1500-900 B.C by the Priests, who sung these hymns in a poetic form in praise of their gods at sacrifices. These priests were among the Aryan people who entered India in the 2^nd millennium B.C. The hymns composed by them were passed on to generations by word of mouth, and were considered so sacred that minor changes were not permitted. Even today they are most sacred and recited at all religious functions.

During the Vedic period, these hymns praising the gods were recited at a place they referred as Yagasala, which later transformed into Temples owing to influence of the cults of devotion.

“The Chief objects of worship were the devas. a word cognate with the Latin deus. The root from which this word is derived, div, is connected with brightness and radiance, and the DEVAS by connotation were “the shining ones”. The early gods of the Āryans, like those of the Greeks, were chiefly connected with the sky and were predominantly male. A few goddesses occur in the Rg Veda; for instance Prthvī, a vague and rarely mentioned personification of earth. Aditi, the great mother of the gods, Usas, the goddess of the dawn, to whom a number of lovely hymns were addressed. Likewise, Ratri, Aranyani were mentioned; none of these, however, played a significant part in the cult. (p.233 of the book by A.L.Basham).

The Hymns of Rg Veda mentioned the names of gods and goddesses. Some of the names mentioned were that of Indra, Surya, Agni, Varuna, Rudra, However from around 900 B.C., many of the old gods of Rg Veda lost their greatness, and became comparatively unimportant, while others rose in popularity, notably Vishnu, and Siva. The main body of Rg Veda does not mention the creator-god. By the end of the Rg Vedic period, however, such a god had developed, whether wholly from the speculations of the brahmanas or from non-Aryan influence. This god was Prajapati, “the Lord of Beings”, later called Brahma, the masculine form of neuter Brahman. (Italics extracted from page 240 of A.L.Basham’s book).

The consorts of the trinity Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva were worshipped as Goddesses and in the later period temples as a place to worship them too developed, along with the temples of Vishnu and Siva, following the cults of devotion. Lord Siva, identified with Vedic Rudra was also worshipped in the form of Linga, which practice of worshipping cone-shaped objects was an important part of Harappan Culture ( 2500-1500 B.C.). With Gods Vishnu and Siva, other deities were respectively associated, and temples in their name too came about.

Yagasala to Devalaya:

As Civilization progressed in India through different historical periods, Hindu religion, its culture, its philosophy, and its way of life evolved. With three more religious scriptures – the Sama, Yajur, and Atharva coming into existence and practice; the Brahmanas, Upanishads; the great epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata and together with The Bhagavad-Gita adding to Hindu scriptures, a strong base for a Hindu way of Life took a firm shape.

Though many rulers ruled in their respective regions of India, they focused on the development of their Palace and the Temple. In the temple where the religious sentiments of the people were concentrated, the worship of the god and the place of worship became sacred, and with it the city. Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kanchipuram, Ujjain, Dwaraka, Kaashi, Prayaga, Madurai and Puri grew up as sacred pilgrim cities attracting pilgrims. They generated revenue and became wealthy.

The dynastic rulers patronized the temples in devotion, spent great deal of their time and wealth in constructing the temples and the complex in general. The complex and its plan were strictly followed as laid down in the religious scriptures. Thus Indian Temple Architecture took birth.

Temple Architecture:

In the beginning, temples were built with timber and clay and later with bricks. Cave-temples, and temples sculptured out of stone came into vogue. Still in a later period, temples were built with heavy stone whose structures evolved different styles of architecture that looked majestic, mammoth, aesthetically magnificent and beautiful.

Considering the vast size of India, it is remarkable that the building of temples has progressed more or less on a set pattern. This is because there was a basic philosophy behind the temple, its meaning and significance. (Extracted from the book – “All about Hindu Temples” by Swami Harshananda.).

Though the pattern remained same, varieties lead to different styles of architecture. The Indian Shilpasastras broadly classified them into THREE STYLES. They were NAGARA, DRAVIDIAN, and VESARA STYLES. The base plans of the temple were square, octagon or circle.

Temples built in the region from Himalayas to Vindhya were of NAGARA STYLE; Temples in the region from Vindhya to Krishna were of VESARA STYLE, and Temples in the region from Krishna to Kanyakumari were of DRAVIDIAN STYLE.

The styles were distinguished by the shape of their Towers (Gopurams) built over the GARBHAGRHA (Sanctum Sanctorum). The tower is also referred as VIMANA to signify that it is the airplane of the gods who descended on earth to bless the mankind. The NAGARA type had towers with rounded top and curvilinear outline, while the tower of the Dravidian style is in the shape of truncated pyramid. The third style, VESARA combined both styles. The towers under each style covered excellent sculptures. Other features of the temple were elaborate pillared halls, and these pillars were exquisitely carved.

Patronage of Temple Buildings by Rulers:

Temple building developed due to the patronage of the rulers during their dynastic rule. The temples that came up during the Gupta period (320-650 A.D) in the northern India, though withstood the vagaries of time, lacked impetus for further development. This apart many ancient temples were destroyed by Muslim invaders in the north. Relatively speaking, such was not the case in the southern region, where the rock-cut architecture took strides and in grand style.

The rock-cut temples that came up in south during the period 450-800 A.D were patronized by great ruling dynasties – the Chalukyas of BADAMI (BIJAPUR DISTRICT) in the west, the Pallavas of Kachipuram in the east, and in the down south, the Pandyans of Madurai. The subsequent ruling dynasties of the respective regions like the Rashtrakutas, the Hoysalas, the Vijayanagar Kingdom, and the Cholas further developed the Architecture. It needs to be mentioned that the Dravidian style temple buildings became very popular throughout south India only from the Vijayanagar times onward.

The NAGARA style Temple Building too developed simultaneously in Orissa, Central India, Rajasthan, and Gujarat during 8^th century to 13^th Century A.D.

Talking of patronage and development of Temple buildings, the Chalukyas of Badami in the northern Karnataka were the first to develop an architectural style of their own. It is a matter of significance that this happened because to the north and south of their kingdom, NAGARA and DRAVIDIAN styles existed, and the innovative Chalukyas blended the two styles and brought about VESARA style. This style began at AIHOLE, the first capital city of the Chalukyas, where they built over 125 temples of different styles. The ruler PULAKESI-! , shifted the capital to nearby BADAMI, which in those days was called Vātapi. Was the classical Carnatic kirtana- “Vātapi Ganapatim bhajé “about this place? YES. It is the place where Lord Ganesha was supposed to have been born to Lord Shiva and Parvati. The song Composed by Muthuswamy Dikshitar on Lord Ganesha, and sung in Hamsadhwani raagam is considered auspicious to begin with in concerts by musicians. TAKE A PAUSE, AND CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK TO LISTEN TO THIS CLASSICAL CARNATIC SONG PLAYED BY ARTISTE RAJESH VAIDYA ON HIS INSTRUMENTS.

http://www.raaga.com/player4/?id=41312&mode=100&rand=0.5388325545037548

AND CONTINUE READING>>>>>>

With experience of building temples, the Chalukyas went on building great temples in PATTADAKAL, another nearby city. The temples here have both Dravidian and Nagara styles of temple architecture.

It’s a pity, I am hearing the names of these cities, which has so much history, only NOW!!!!! I did read the book of A.L.Basham before, but in bits and pieces. Well, here is another instance of GOD having a time-table for each one of us. What more is there for me in store? ONLY he knows. So, be positive and live to enjoy. That is his message for me and to you all as well.

Plan of a Hindu Temple:

The standard type of a Hindu temple remains same from the 5^th century to the present day. The heart of the temple is the sanctum sanctorum (grbhagrha), a small dark shrine-room with no windows and doors except the front opening, having the chief deity placed in the centre. The room is completely dark except for the light coming from the front door or light received from flickering oil-lamps. The grbhagrha opens on to a hall (Mukhamandapam) for worshippers, which normally is a separate hall but joined to the grbhagrha by a vestibule (antarāla). The hall is again approached by a porch (ardhamandapa). The mandapam is usually a big hall and is used for conducting religious performances like singing, dancing, harikathas, and other acts relating to religion.

The grbhagrha is surmounted by a tower (Sikhara), which is high in the Nagara type temples, and of lesser height in the Dravidian type temples. Just around the garbhagrha, a passage is provided for circumambulation (Pradakshina) clockwise for worshippers as reverence for the principle deity.

Representing as a flag post of the deity is the dhvajasthambham. At the top of the post, fixed like a flag is the insignia (lānchana) made of copper or brass that varies according to the principle deity. The figure on the lanchana is the Vāhana of the deity. Like Nandi in Siva temples, Lion in Durga temples, and Garuda in Vishnu temples.

The Balipitha with a lotus or the footprints of the deity is fixed near the dhvajasthambham, but nearer to the deity. Rice mixed with vermillion (Kumkumam) powder is kept on this at appropriate stages during the performance of rituals. This indicate the feeding of the parivāradevatās (attendant and associate deities). (Extracted from the book – “All about Hindu Temples” by Swami Harshananda.).

Around these are small temples for minor deities associated with the principle deity. Apart from these are Yagasala, Pākasāala (cooking shed), Kitchen, flower garden, water tank (pushkarinī), stores and other structures that are essential for upkeep of the temple.

This entire temple complex (rectangular in shape) is enclosed by high walls (Prākāram) on all sides with one main and three subsidiary gates opening in the cardinal directions. The main gate on the eastern side is adorned by a very high tower. This is to say that the image of the principle deity was positioned facing EAST. In the later period, the Dravidian architecture shifted its emphasis from the tower above the chief shrine to the entrance gateway. This tower soared much taller than the sikhara over the central shrine.

The entrance tower was usually in the form of an oblong pyramid, with its broadest side parallel to the wall. The new style is often called Pāndyan, from the name of the dynasty which supplanted the Cholas in the Tamil country, and the kings of which were responsible for building walls and gateway towers round many existing shrines. The style introduced more elaborate ornamentation, and the use of animal form in pilasters and columns, including the rampant horses and leogryphs which give a distinctive character to late Dravidian architecture.(page 358 of the book by A.L.Basham).

When looked at the temple plan horizontally, it appears to signify that the garbhagrha represents the head and the entrance Gopuram the feet of the deity. The ardhamandapa is the nose, the antarala is the neck; the various mandapams are the body, the prakaras are the hands and so on.

List of Temples indicating their architectural styles:

Temple	Architecture
	Style
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Tirupati	Dravidian
Lingaraaj Temple, Bhubaneswar	Nagara
Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam	Dravidian
Kailasanadha Temple,Kanchipuram	Dravidian
Kailasanadha Temple, Ellora	Dravidian
Brihadeeswara Temple, Tanjavur	Dravidian
Brihadeeswara Temple, Gangaikondacholapuram	Dravidian
Meenakshi Temple, Madurai	Dravidian
Shiva Temple, Ambarnath	Vesara
Chennakesava Temple, Belur	Hoysala
Sun Temple, Konark, Orissa	Nagara
Harasa Ramaswamy Temple, Hampi	Vijayanagara
Vithala Temple, Hampi	Vijayanagara
Jagannath Temple, Puri (PHASE 1)	Nagara

Jagannath Temple, Puri (PHASE 2)	Nagara
Durga Temple, Aihole, Karnataka	Vesara
Kashiviswanatha Temple, Pattadakal	Nagara
Mallikarjuna Temple, Pattadakal	Dravidian
Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal	Dravidian
Sangameswara Temple, Pattadakal, Karnataka	Dravidian
Papanatha Temple, Pattadakal	Vesara

The photos of these temples can be viewed at the following link for more clarity. You need a Google mail ID to sign and view them.

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/venkatamadhusudan/HINDUTEMPLESARCHITECTURE?locked=true#

The credit for these photos goes to the owners of the websites from where I downloaded them. The major websites which I browsed were:

Interesting Websites relating to Temple Architecture:

http://www.cyberfocusindia.com/

http://images.google.co.in/images?hl=en&q=Photos+of+indian+temple+architecture&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=tGxqSuK5M4iVkAXVwbmlCw&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1

http://www.templenet.com/temparc.html#The%20Nagara%20Style

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Aihole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattadakal

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Image:Durga_temple_Aihole.JPG

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Aihole

http://www.asi.nic.in/index.asp

Worshipping the God:

The purpose of our visit to the temple is to seek the Darsanam of the almighty. In the process of doing so, we approach the entrance gateway, look up at the high tower in awe, bend down at the gate touching the entrance threshold with our hands in reverence, cross it by putting our right foot inside the sacred complex. We arrive at the Dhvajasthambham, then at the Balipitha to take the Kumkumam, applying to our forehead. We pass through the Mukhamandapam to arrive at the Garbhagrha. We make a minimum of three Pradakshinas of the garbhagrha, and then stand in front of the deity all the while praying through recitation of known slokas. We then pass our offerings to the priest, who on our behalf does the puja inside the garbhagrha. We watch in reverence the rituals being performed and feel content with the view of the god. We then receive the theertham/ prasadam given by the priest, who passes on the blessings of the god by keeping the silver crown on our head for a while. This gives us a great mental satisfaction.

As per the religious scripts, it is considered sacred that Hindus should perform at least one important worship of their family in the temple.

Concluding remarks:

Much more can be written on temples, deities, rituals, and the ways to construct a temple. For the present it is beyond this brief.

Tailpiece:

The devotees who are unable to visit the temple, god has a way for them. He makes us feel he is in us in the form of our soul, and says Dil Ek Mandir; Nenjil Oru Āalayam; and Manasé Mandiram.( HEART IS A TEMPLE)

May the Almighty bless all of us.

Views on Health Reform.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:12:00 +0000

Monday, August 31, 2009

The proposals of Health reform and the debates that are being currently discussed in America are of academic interest to me. The reform as proposed in the Bill aptly titled “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009”, are comprehensive to make health care affordable to ALL Americans and reduce their spending on Health Care in the long run.

The aim of universal coverage for all is certainly laudable. The need for the Health Reform arose because under the present status quo, there appear serious flaws in the health care industry, and many are opting out of the coverage due to high cost of insurance premiums, and escalating costs in healthcare. Just to cite an example: It is estimated that an older couple may need to save $ 300,000 to pay for health care costs not covered by Medicare alone. This Information is obtained from - www.healthreform.gov/. That is staggering!

While a very healthy debate is going on both for and against the proposals, the subtle point of the healthcare, as a social necessity and requirement is being slightly overlooked. Every family should treat this as fixed expense in their house budget. The new proposal makes coverage mandatory. People must consider it as their right rather than a privilege.

Any country trying to bring about reforms in any segment of its economy should be country specific. This should be based on its own culture, its own philosophy of life, and its affordability. I am rather shocked at the American media bashing Britain’s NHS (National Health Service) infuriating that Country. The right-wing critics of President Obama’s proposals on healthcare reforms are spreading canards and misinforming the American Public about NHS, and if that system were to be introduced, Americans would be worse off. This is purely exaggeration.

What Americans need is to look at the proposals with a COOL mind and study it comprehensively what the Nation needs as a whole rather than on individual specific.

This reform aims at making it mandatory for all to be covered. This requires rules to be framed and regulated so that no body (Insurance Companies or any related organization) could prevent from denying coverage, whatever may be the medical history of the insured. Currently certain pre-existing conditions are NOT covered by the insurance companies. This is plain cruelty and stupid thinking. Do the insurance companies expect Healthy persons to visit and get admitted in the hospitals? It is a premise and fundamental that insurance companies use the money they get from the healthy to expend on the sick and make a profit from the difference. Like the Banks receiving deposits and lending to the needy, as the latter group in both cases is always less in monetary value.

Sometimes, the reforms also warrant provision of subsidies, which could be in the form of tax rebates or assistance to such of those small companies to cover their lower-income employees, whose families could also be brought under insurance coverage. By this, they can afford healthcare.

To keep the escalating cost of insurance premia under check and induce competition, the reform proposes that a government run insurance plan is made available to public through public auction. In other words, a choice is offered to the public as another option to take care of their health needs.

This Public auction is being vehemently opposed out of fear that the healthcare in future would become inefficient due to government involvement; would not care the elderly; would further weaken the system due to bureaucratic wrangles; would consider the lives of disabled persons as worthless; would drive some to opt for euthanasia. So on and so forth.

All this talk and fears are baseless, and needs to be condemned. A media report went to the extent of saying that Britain’s NHS considers the life of its citizen Stephen Hawking, an eminent globally known Astro-physicist and an advanced ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) patient as worthless, and not fit for coverage. This is purely absurd. He refuted the statement saying he is surviving because he is covered by NHS.

Now, the reform proposals do require funds. This can only be raised through additional taxes and cost savings elsewhere in the budget. An exercise is needed and would be done in such a way to keep the federal deficit under check from further bulging.

And that is Government’s responsibility, which has to bear the risk, and is willing to take it.

It’s a balancing act, and government alone has the wherewithal to set things right. The globe has already seen the type of players in the private sector plunging American economy, and that of the world close to abyss, through financial sector. Would the American public ready for a similar scenario to emerge through its present status quo on healthcare sans reform?

It is wise to save, invest and spend on Healthcare, than on Defense to fight an endless war in other countries. A healthy nation would always become a wealthy nation in letter and in spirit.

These are thoughts to ponder.

Comparatively speaking, India does not have a uniform Health policy for all its citizens. The government is not even thinking about it, nor is it in its priority right now. That is a pity.

That does not mean there are no schemes at all. There are; covering different classes of people by different organizations. Each scheme has its own rules and regulations. Some are effective, some are evasive, and finally we end up paying from our personal savings to meet the medical expenses that often drive many into bankruptcy. Coverage is not mandatory.

So long I was in employment; my employer covered the medical expenses of my family. After retirement, I took a health insurance policy, paying the premium annually through my interest income I get from my bank deposits. The insurance company meets my hospitalization expenses (Should I get admitted) only partly. I am disabled with ALS; do not require hospitalization as yet, but engaged a full time care giver at home to assist my basic needs. I am totally dependent on him. I pay the expenses from my pocket, which is a huge burden on my family budget. Only god knows how long this would be. There is no provision in any scheme to come to my aid. I have to live with this burden which could increase along with progression in my disability till my death.

I digress a bit from my views. My friend Baikal at the Blogosphere of Austin American Statesman sent a public message, requesting my views on healthcare debate, and how care and treatment in USA for me would be different than in my country. His message prompted me to write this blog.

It is a hypothetical case, but let me imagine the care and treatment that may be available. Under the reforms, I would be covered; provided with palliative care; provided with quality accessories, like wheel chair, whose cost may be subsidized or fully met by the government. Mine is an incurable disease and as long as I live I may be taken care of. Just like Stephen Hawking being cared under NHS. Such assistance is NOT available to me in India.

Every reform is beset with flaws like human being born with imperfections. He/she continues to be imperfect even today.

A broader vision and understanding is the need of the hour to the proposed healthcare reform. And that is my considered view.

I feel Sad.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I feel sad at the demise of Democrat Senator EDWARD KENNEDY, late on Tuesday night. I join Americans, and other admirers in offering my condolences to his family members.

Many of us in India of my age, though not connected with American Politics, have been following American Politics, ever since John F. Kennedy became President, whose speeches were inspirational. Since then, the political careers of the Kennedy Family were always in the news.

Despite hailing from that illustrious family, the three brothers have earned a name for themselves, and their contribution to uplift America as a nation in modern times is immeasurable.

The youngest of all, Ted Kennedy, as we Indians know lived politically a bit under the shadow of his brothers. Nevertheless, he was as much admired.

It is a pity that he will not be there to see the Health Care Reforms, which are so dear to him, take a firm shape. It will in due course and that would be the greatest tribute the Americans can pay.

May his soul rest in peace.

Bailout and Stimulus for the Mind.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:48:00 +0000

Saturday, August 22, 2009

For quite sometime I wanted to write a blog on this topic. But my views were not making any headway; were always fading away from clarity, often getting confused at the unfolding scenario of recession that engulfed the globe. The financial crisis that started the destruction soon assumed a global power decimating the intelligent minds. It looked as if there was no solution and the mind itself required a ‘Bailout and Stimulus’.

I strongly felt that the solution was embedded in the mind and was in need of the right key. The starting point was to sit, analyse ant put the mind to work. In my view, that would be the Stimulus.

I mustered all my thoughts and started stimulating. Here I go.

What follows a crisis is invariably a knee-jerk reaction. Thereafter, the fall out results in leaders taking measures to solve and wriggle out of the crisis. They name the measures with words that keep resonating, and such words buzz around as if they are the panacea for solving such crisis.

The financial meltdown that crippled the economy in USA, and crippled the economies of other countries one by one, required urgent measures to freeze the meltdown. That’s when the words “Bail-out” and “Stimulus” came out of the lexicon.

Bailing out is fine when some one is in distress. But is it prudent if an industry in the economy slips into a crisis by its own reckless performance and is bailed out by the government? That becomes debatable in a free market economy where there is not much control by the state excepting the regulatory bodies monitoring industry performance.

The crisis in the financial sector was not confined to that sector alone, but spread ominously to other sectors of American economy and across the world. Whatever the type of economies the other countries were pursuing, they were simply swallowed plunging the globe into gloom.

In such a situation, who will bail out whom, and where should the stimulation start? Obviously it should begin in the USA from where the crisis emanated, and am glad it did. Only the government in power has a moral responsibility to revive its country’s economy with slew of measures. None in the private sector would work for the country’s economy on its own. This is a reality to be taken with a pinch of salt. The Government has to intervene, and needs to give directions through rules and regulations. Whatever may be the type of economy, whatever may be the type of governance, all activities need to be governed by rules, and monitored by regulatory bodies. All of us have seen the results of violating these rules and failure of the regulatory bodies. That is sad and unfortunate.

It was appropriate that President Barack Obama’s administration took the initiative. The critics of the stimulus package, whether they are media, from GOP, from within the Democratic Party have little substance in their criticism. What is the alternative?

Critics may argue that the stimulus plan may be small. It ought to be like that. You treat a patient with appropriate dosages of medicine; watch for the response and resuscitate the patient gradually, and put him on the road to recovery. That’s how things work.

Amidst this, those responsible for triggering this collapse seem to get away. Are they? Investigations would be made and trials would certainly follow, if the government is sincere. Let us hope it will. For a second, just ponder. Have not the Banks, the financial institutions exploited our psyche of greed? We allowed them. We tried to live beyond our means. We are equally at fault for the financial mess.

Now is the time to introspect. It is time to change our habits and our mind set too. It is a sign of immaturity and smallness of our minds if we expect government alone to set things right. As citizens, we need to co-operate and also act as watchdogs.

Finance is the backbone of any economy. The finance industry must be strengthened so that finance is available to the firms, and the fiscal stimulus would only create and lift demand. The starting point for obtaining Finance is at the banks. Their functions need to be streamlined and strictly monitored.

Nationalization of the Banks is an option resorted to by the Government to control flow of money into the economy, and monitor the function of the banks through which it reaches out to people. The capitalism fears that this measure is an intrusion into its system and an affront to its ethos. But Capitalism failed this time to stem the rot.

Economists, Financial analysts continue to say there are no signs of the recovery. Yet, economy is moving at a snails pace, and has not totally collapsed. In my opinion, recession is deeply embedded in our minds, and we need to develop the habit of being frugal in our lifestyle and curb our temptations of becoming greedy. It is true that life is there to be enjoyed, but within means of affordability.

Tailpiece: If we do not bailout our thoughts and stimulate our minds, we will all end up as Nero’s while our Nations get burnt.

It Happened To Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:43:00 +0000

Thursday, August 20, 2009

It was way back during the summer of 1967 in New Delhi that an incident happened to me due to disobedience and impertinence on my part befitting my young age then to a saner advice of a cousin sister.

She advised me NOT to have a Hair-cut on a Friday. The consequences of not heeding to that simple advice, proved costly in terms of money and with it brickbats to an extant that to this day I do NOT go for a hair cut on Fridays.

On that fateful cloudy FRIDAY after noon, out of impulse I wanted to have a hair-cut at Plaza, a fashionable Hair-dressing Saloon in Connaught Place- An Expensive shopping promenade- about TEN miles away despite a saloon being there at a walking distance from my house, where I have the cut regularly. As my father was away on an official tour, the family car – Hindustan Landmaster- was at my disposal. The thrill of a long drive was tempting. I set out against advice and warning.

The onward drive was pleasant. The hair-cut in a comfortable ambience was smooth, the scalp massage and the shampooing put me into a slumberous mood for a while. The ever smiling, tall fair complexioned- a la Clark Gable- Barber combed my hair setting into a style akin to Junior Clark Gable, and finished the dressing sprinkling perfume all around. I tipped him well, beside the fare, and sauntered out refreshed. It was Dad’s money anyway!!!

With a cynical smile at the thought of cousin sister’s advice, I slid into the car like a lord comfortably positioning before the steering, ready for another majestic drive back to home. The engine started immediately, and I got into the evening traffic quickly. For a change I took a different route, a shorter one, for the return drive. After going about 2 miles, the engine rattled with the car losing speed and in few minutes it came to a halt right in the middle of the road disrupting traffic. I tried to restart, but the engine rattled more. I was sweating as I got down, and with the help of few pedestrians, pushed the car to the curb.

I opened the bonnet, but could not locate the fault as I was a dummy to car mechanism. After locking the car, as I walked half-a-mile to the nearest petrol bunk for a mechanic, it started to drizzle, and the downpour increased. Suddenly, the weather looked ominous. Seeing me in poor light, the mechanic accompanied me back to the car, and after a quick look, felt that there could be a crack in the Timing gear system, which would involve dismantling the engine, that would take few days and the repairs could get expensive!!. He suggested we tow the car to the petrol bunk first, and we did.

I became speechless not knowing what to do. I did not have much money with me then. Understanding my plight, the mechanic did not insist for his fee.

Regaining my composure, I rang up the owner of known motor workshop, who advised me to leave the car at the bunk overnight, and he would have it towed to his workshop the next day morning. By coincidence, the gas station owner is known to him, and assured me the car would be safe.

I returned home pretty late by bus, totally exhausted. I was aware of the reception I would get. Though relieved of the anxiety on seeing me, and on being told of the events, I received brickbats from family members which shook me. I dare not look at them in their eyes, and much less at my cousin sister. I had a sleepless night.

Next day, I caught the first bus in the early hours to get to the Petrol station, and was happy to see the car safe and secured.

Well, it cost a fortune for my father to get the car repaired. I was admonished mildly for my rash behaviour. It left an indelible mark in my mind. It was an unforgettable lesson.

However, there was a positive side to it. I learnt the car mechanism as I observed all the repairs that were done, which process stood with me in good stead in my later years with my father’s car and my car as well in knowing Car Maintenance.

Despite scientific thinking, and others laughing at our superstitious beliefs, we all do possess these beliefs following some incident or other in our lives OR simply following elders’ advice.

Tailpiece: Though following STRICTLY the habit of NOT having a hair-cut on FRIDAYS, I went a step ahead in restricting my hair-cuts, by having my head tonsured once in four months beginning from this year. This suits my disability too. Oh! Yes! Tonsures? NOT on FRIDAY’S.

Back To Blogging.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:26:00 +0000

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

I have not been expressing opinions, articulating my ideas on anything, and kept away from blogging since January of this year. The neurological disorder disease ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) I am afflicted with took a step further in making me more immobile. I needed a care giver to assist me in my basic needs. This turn of events unsettled my mind and my thoughts were lacking concentration and veering towards disinterest in many mental activities. My mind was in recession.

I was aware that this attitude is not healthy, and could lead to depression, which would further weaken me. It took a long time for me to come to grips with the realities, as I had to go through a miserable summer which added to my discomfort.

The spiritual books I was reading, the motivational messages I was receiving from friends, the research I was indulging on new subjects, and my own fighting spirit helped me get back to a positive attitude, which I hope would sustain.

All through, I continued reading blogs posted in The Statesman and other websites. I never left the habit of surfing the net to keep my mind alert and active.

I sent and received mails typing with my right fore finger and middle finger alternately.

I hope I keep posting blogs on topics of interest as often as I can, expressing my views and deeply felt emotions on them.

Sickness may have you down physically, but you don’t have to be down spiritually or emotionally. You keep on getting up in your heart, mind, and will. (Chapter 21, page 189).

God has destined you to live in victory, but you have to do your part. Make a firm decision that no matter what comes against you in life, you are going to keep standing up on the inside. (Chapter 21, page 194).

The above italisized paras have been extracted from the book “YOUR Best Life NOW 7 steps to Living at your full potential” By JOEL OSTEEN. He is the senior pastor of Lakewood Church, Houston, TX.

Relevant words Indeed.

Historic and Memorable Inauguration.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:06:00 +0000

Democrat Senator Barack H. Obama officially became the 44^th President of America after he was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday, 20^th January, 2009. History would record that he is the first African-American to assume this Office. His ascent has been remarkable and noteworthy in that he got elected after two years of hard fought canvassing. His rhetoric speeches that emphasized the need for a change in the governance appealed to the American citizens to support him.

Being in Hyderabad, I watched the inauguration programme live on TV from 9:30 PM till 11:00 PM – Indian Standard Time (11:00 AM to 12:30 PM- EST). It was interesting throughout. Well planned, precisely timed, and orderly.

Senator Joe Biden repeated the oath perfectly as he was sworn in as Vice- President.

On the contrary, there was a split second awkward moment when Obama repeated the oath. He paused for a while unable to grasp the words read fast by Chief Justice Roberts. It was not nervous, but the oath read by Chief Justice Roberts was fast, which ought to have been slow. That is what I felt. A TV channel reported that Chief Justice Roberts administered the oath once again at the white house.

The Inaugural speech of President Obama was precise, highlighting dominating issues, both internal and international, and a determination to meet them. Though inspirational and appealing, the speech did not contain forceful messages that could have been listed as famous quotable quotes. Nevertheless, it emphasized the need for change in the attitudinal approach of Americans towards their domestic issues, and an America that is open to governments across the globe to solve problems with diplomacy than with military power.

President Obama projected the spirit of optimism to bring about a change to renew America.

In its leader-Renewing America- in the edition of January 17^th 2009, The Economist writes that:

Mr. Obama seems to be different. By offering the most prized cabinet job to his rival, Hillary Clinton, and by keeping on Robert Gates, the defence secretary, who has done a good job, Mr. Obama has shown a determination not to surround himself with cronies. He has put together a team which has impressed almost everyone with its caliber and its centrism. He has been tough already, dispatching blunderers and being prepared to admit mistakes. He has repeatedly warned Americans that he will have to do unpleasant things.

The next four, or eight, years may be a disappointment, a triumphant renewal or something in between. Mr. Obama is inexperienced, and right now the world looks especially forbidding. But he is respectful and thoughtful man, and that is a good start.

Everyone hopes so.

Incompetent Leaders of Pakistan.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:28:00 +0000

The terrorist attacks on Mumbai compelled me to ponder over the characteristic traits of Pakistani leaders, and their way of governance. I tend to believe that its leaders, right from the birth of that nation, be they from Army, Civilian or from any other community were timid, dogmatic and lacked in vision. For much of its duration, it was in the grip of Army personnel, who were dictatorial and not democratic in thinking and governance. They seem to have brought up that country into believing that India is not to be trusted, and that it has snatched Kashmir from them and this is the bone of contention between the two countries, they harped always and made their countrymen believe.

On this perception, the Army ruled that country and turned it into a rogue nation. Through their intelligence wing, they nurtured militants and trained many of its innocent youths into jihadi elements who grew to become terrorists. This they did through religious institutions run by religious fanatics. They carried several terrorist attacks on India, and repeatedly denied their involvement despite furnishing evidence by India. Their ideology appears to tread the path of war histrionics than peaceful co-existence with a neighboring country. Terrorism is a global monster and Pakistan has also been its victim.

And this is the country which America consistently considered to be its ally in combating terrorism. And this is the country which misappropriated the Billions of dollars of American aid. And America continues to rely on it to pursue its own agenda.

After much upheavals internally, Pakistan chose the Democratic form of governance ending Army rule of General Musharraf. That is what the world was made to believe. In reality, the Army and the terror outfits continue to call the shots.

In many respects the culture of India and Pakistan is similar. The majority of its public is peace loving and desire friendly relations with India. This is more so after watching India develop into an emerging economic power. Its public also felt that its rulers have denied them the democratic freedom.

India and Pakistan together have initiated and continued bilateral talks for close to six decades. Yet, tension remains between the two countries. More often than not, leaders of Pakistan carried their militant activities alongside their diplomatic talks, which are nothing short of double-speak.

After the recent carnage in Mumbai, and on pressure from India and the USA, the UN Security council have banned an outfit and added some names-religious fanatics- to the list of Terrorists.

Does it suffice?

NO. This is all a cosmetic exercise. Such decision has precedence, and the terrorism continues right under the nose of international community.

What do you call these Pakistani Leaders? Recalcitrant; Spineless; Incorrigible, ruthless or inhuman?

Waging a war on this country is NOT a solution. But ostracising this country and its Leaders, whom I call MMD- Men of Mass Destruction- from participating in all international diplomatic meetings, and imposing economic sanctions may pave a way for solution to tackle terrorism globally.

Could it happen?

I am doubtful for the simple reason that all the Countries- super powers and the emerging powers- have their own selfish agenda to pursue in this global rat race. As such, their reactions and comments are nothing but lip sympathy and shedding of crocodile tears.

My views are not out of despair but out of assessing the political scenario that exists around us.

There is dearth of leaders in each country who can be called statesman. It is the same scenario in each sector of a country’s economy.

Why so?

I ascribe it to fall in human values, and absence of sagacious mind. In the corporate sector, it is greed for money, and more money; and in politics it is greed for power.

If the people of Pakistan and their media with the help of International community exert pressure on their own leaders, we could expect to curb terrorism. If more women of Pakistan take up an active role in the governance of their country we could expect development and peace to prevail there.

For the present, their leaders have, beyond doubt, proved themselves to be incompetent.

26-11-2008 -Mumbai- India: Some Swirling Thoughts.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:35:00 +0000

An attack by terrorists and terrorism is not new to India. It has been happening over two decades in some part or other in this country. Every time it happened, many innocent lives were lost. There were knee-jerk reactions, emotional reactions, political bickering, and blame games and so on. The suddenness and speed at which these events happened, they were pushed into the pages of history with as much suddenness and with slightly lesser speed. The response from the public, the media, and the parties in governance was always been reactive and never proactive. The causes to these attacks, though debated and analysed, were never seriously addressed and resolved

This lackadaisical approach to this contentious issue has been well gauged by the terrorists and prompted them to be more adventurous in their audacious, astonishing and dastardly attacks they carried out in MUMBAI CITY on the night of Wednesday, 26^th November, 2008. For the first time, the terrorists chose the Arabian Sea route to land on the shores of Mumbai. Fanning out in batches, they began gunning down innocent civilians as they targeted crowded historic rail terminus- Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus- using sophisticated weapons, firing indiscriminately. they threw hand grenades at will at different places in the city, hijacked a police jeep after killing three top police officers, before seizing Luxury hotels- The Taj, The Oberoi, and The Trident- and a Jewish Centre in Nariman House all located in South Mumbai. They held hostages at these landmarks, some of whom were killed, some rescued later.

The siege lasted close to sixty hours at these locations before the commandos of National Security Guards shot all but one who was captured alive.

This cowardly, heinous act ended with around 190 getting killed, including foreigners, and around 350 getting injured. The style and magnitude at which these attacks were executed with precise planning left the entire nation shocked, stunned and bemused. It was unprecedented.

The nation was in agony, anguish, and livid with incessant anger. The public in Mumbai, who were at the receiving end of these multiple attacks, lead the nation’s outrage with a spontaneity that belied its proud trait of tolerance. In one voice, the nation blamed the politicians for the insecurity of their lives; for their irresponsibility; for their unaccountability; and above all for being soft in dealing with terrorism.

The nation demanded ACTION and NOT WORDS OR SPEECHES.

Such public outrage was unprecedented and remarkable for its unified voice.

Stung by this public outcry, hyped and fanned by the electronic media, the home minister of the country- Mr. Shivraj Patil submitted his resignation owning MORAL responsibility. He was targeted for his inefficient and ineffective leadership for the terror attacks during his tenure. The Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra too stepped down owning the same MORAL responsibility, after initial reluctance!! The Chief Minister has been asked by his Party - The Congress Party- to continue till a suitable leader is chosen, paving the way for indulging in a mini power game. Such is the insensitivity of the politicians to serious issues.

Peeved at the criticism of this outrage directed at their breed, the narrow minded politicians of Congress, the BJP and others retorted with caustic comments, inflaming the atmosphere further disowning individual responsibility, and instead blamed the failure of multiple agencies involved in looking after the security of the country.

Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh Convened a high level all party meeting, to which the main opposition BJP party leader, Mr.L.K.Advani chose NOT to attend, as he was busy in election campaign!! At the meeting a decision was taken to set up a new outfit- Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) to deal exclusively with intelligent network to combat terrorism. Measures would be taken to strengthen all institutions and agencies for the security of the country.

Initial investigations and interrogations of the lone arrested terrorist reveal the involvement of Pakistan, and the terror outfits operating from that country as in all such attacks. Pakistan has always denied its involvement despite evidence pointing to its complicity.

America and Britain have offered help in investigations, and their intelligence officers are already in India. US secretary of State Ms Condoleezza Rice has appealed to Pakistan to co-operate. That remains to be seen.

But for the Commendable action of the National Security Guard (NSG) Commandos, in coordination with the Army, the Rapid Action Force, the security forces, the Mumbai Police, and the Mumbai fire brigade, the causalities would have been much more. In addition to them, Hotel Staff and other selfless individuals showed exemplary courage in saving some lives. Their acts were inspirational, praiseworthy and evoked a sense of pride. The nation became one in showing adulation on them.

It was unnecessary to telecast live the terrorist attacks minute by minute by the electronic media, posing greater dangers and hindrance to the operations. The coverage was disorderly to say the least. It was irritating to see some reporters trying to hog the limelight ALWAYS, and claiming exclusive coverage. It was irritating to see them jostling and pushing fellow channel operators. How could you learn discipline from them? Though they pursued a cause relentlessly, but the manner in which they are doing requires orderliness. They need to practice measured and responsible reporting as they are seen live.

Well, this is one side of the issue.

Let me ponder and introspect further.

We are a tolerant Society. Our reactions have always been emotional, and often contradictory. We react differently to many similar issues that appear illogical to an outsider, and occasionally even to us. Deep down in our hearts, many of us are selfish, self centered and regionalistic. This could send some wrong signals to people who do not understand our psyche. We only get outraged when our tolerant limit is stretched too far.

Mumbaikars did not react with as much emotion when Mr. Raj Thackeray, leader of Mumbai Navnirman Sena fanned regional feelings against north Indians that resulted in large scale violence. Why? Where was the INDIAN Spirit then? It remains inexplicable. The leader got away with no punishment.

Is the present outrage because rich were affected?

It is an emphatic NO. It poured out at the right time after simmering for long. It poured out watching the ineptitude of the politicians; at their degenerating character and apathy towards the law abiding citizens.

The present mess is the result of attitude of every one of us. It has awakened us from deep slumber. It is time we propel ourselves forward. All of us need to change.

Foremost is to learn to be self disciplined.

We need to be vigilant and observant in public places.

We need to follow basics in security measures, and MUST not resist being checked at sensitive places.

We need to respect the Law.

We must not seek favours from Public Servants, nor induce them into corruption.

We need to insist for a Para-military training to our youth at college levels for a minimum of two years, which should be made mandatory.

We need to say a big NO to further bifurcation of states. People do not want that. It is only the politicians who call for it for their selfish ends. Leaders calling for bifurcation in the name of people should be rejected as anti-national.

We need to insist for reforms in Electoral, Judiciary, Law enforcement agencies and in Civic Institutions to begin with.

We need to insist better behaviour from our leaders in Legislative houses.

We need to insist for transparency in administrative matters that affect public at large.

We need to project a better image of ourselves as a peaceful nation worthy of emulation.

There are millions of under privileged people living in rural India. Much can be learnt from them in respect of hard work, living in adverse conditions. We need to educate them as we learn from them. We need a curriculum as part of our education to be associated with the rural community.

My thinking is neither utopian nor idealistic, but pragmatic and these are some of the minimum standards we need to observe as citizens for a Nation to survive.

This tragedy will have far reaching implications and could be a turning point for many upcoming events and issues.

Finally it is a fact of life that ultimately GOOD triumphs over EVIL. Calm prevails after Storm, and Peace follows Destruction. History of the world is replete with these Lessons.

Reading Books versus Surfing the Net.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:03:00 +0000

The habit of reading books got into me more than four decades ago through my father and elder brother, who are no more now. While in New Delhi in those days, for their reading pleasure, they bought some books, and regularly borrowed many from The British Council Library and The United States Information Service. Supplementing this there were books from Central Secretariat Library of which my father was a member, he being a Government official. They were mostly auto-biographies, biographies of eminent personalities, books on History and literature, and occasionally fiction.

I used to read them late in the nights and on Sundays after my studies. And yes, after them. Elders first were the unwritten rule and code!

In contrast, there is practically no competition to the usage of my personal computer, which I acquired in late 2000 just before my retirement from service. I planned this to spend time on it in my retired life. I learnt to operate it slowly. How I did it I narrated it in my blog- The way I learnt Computers- which I posted in July 2006.

In the euphoria of learning this new medium, and browsing the net for information, my book reading habit was on the wane. I found it difficult to balance my time between the two habits. Most of the time I succumbed to the temptation of viewing the world through the windows, and tried to assimilate as much information and knowledge my brain could take it at a stretch. I realized surfing the net slowly draws the mind away from focus on any one subject/topic. What are retained in the mind are only bits and pieces of information. May be it has undesirable and unwanted information, piles of them. But it is there for retrieval, and caters to the needs of netizens. The most popular attribute, however is the mail transmission, followed by chats and videos. The technological stride it has made over decades is amazing.

Despite this, I find reading a book turning its pages slowly, and float along with the author’s views most invigorating. This sense of belonging with the author is unparallel. One gets a feeling of togetherness. This is absent while reading the contents in link pages of a website, or for that matter of fact reading an e-book. There is an inexplicable strain to the eyes. Though the contents in the e-book and its print edition are the same, reading it online is a pain to the brain. Concentration is lacking and the focus is absent. I find the feeling is similar when comparison is made between a Landline and a Cell phone.

I guess I am a traditionalist. But the trends in the IT field are fast changing. I read the other day that e-Readers are becoming not only popular but attractive. This device displays the text of a book electronically on an LCD screen. It features a dictionary; buttons to flip the pages, slots to increase storage capacity etc., etc., In other words, one could download loads of titles of books. This storage device virtually replaces book shelves.

Added to this is the launching of online library by the European Union which will feature digital objects- films, photographs, paintings, sound files, maps etc., In other words it will be a digital library showcasing Europe’s cultural heritage online. Access to it is at www.europeana.eu/. This would certainly help anyone in the globe to visit libraries of other countries without actually going there.

This is admirable. Sitting at home, one could surf the website for seeking vast knowledge. This may facilitate disabled persons, like me, who cannot commute to the libraries. But others may curtail their visits to libraries, missing its wonderful ambience. With this technology gaining popularity and momentum in the coming decades, there could be reduction in publication of books in print mode. There would be fewer books for sale. If this were to come true, running a Bookstore would not be economical, and may eventually close down.

But that would be a pity! There would be fewer books in the bookshelves at home, and the study room would look bland.

I shudder to read that the e-content would eclipse traditional books by the next decade. Is it good? Not for me.

There is a news report In Austin American-Statesman of 21^st November, 2008 that Bookstop, a bookstore in Central Austin would close by the year end. Is this the beginning of the trend?

Once I buy a book, it becomes my companion for life. Seeing collection of my books on shelves, not only showcase my reading habit, but enable my family members accessible to it. It would tempt others to get into the reading habit. Not the Computer when switched off and not connected to the net. It is definitely not tempting and attractive when in slumber mood.

Reputation of America: Penumbra to Umbra to Dawn.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:15:00 +0000

Ever since Bush Administration assumed Power, America has been at the receiving end of criticism for many of the policy decisions coming from the white house. Right or wrong, decisions were taken as they deemed fit under circumstances that were prevailing then. Though 9/11 brought enormous sympathy for the American people, its government squandered that sympathy gradually.

With the passage of time, those decisions proved inappropriate, were resented within the country and outside. There was disenchantment with Bush Administration. But nothing deterred Bush, and every act of his had a touch of brazenness, and streaks of arrogance. The ground realities of the two wars that began in his term were the result of his decisions. As if these were not enough to tarnish his image, his bail out package to solve the financial crisis that engulfed the world financial markets, further distorted the image of entire America in the eyes of the world. Many wondered how a country that assumes itself as a superpower, could be so callous in managing its own economy and mess up with its financial systems.

In a nutshell, his governance during the two terms drove the country to pits. In financial terms, his administration turned the inheritance of a surplus budget from the previous regime into a deficit budget. And that is the gift he would pass it on to the new leadership of President-elect Barack Obama. It could be argued that democrats in the senate and the house have also contributed to this mess. But, in the parlance of governance, the leader is responsible for the mess. One likes it or not.

Future investigations would certainly expose the persons involved in the financial melt down. I am sure the American People and the World would want to know the truth.

The scenario in which USA finds itself prompted analysts of different countries to express their views about what went wrong?

In any type of governance, It is considered prudent to seek different views and arrive at one’ own view to get the right perspective of issues and take a decision. When things go wrong, it is better to introspect critically without prejudice and improve for the better.

An analyst Igor Bogdanov aired his views in RIA Novosti, a Russian News & Information Agency. It is a lengthy article and worth reading in entirety. His Article was published in THE HINDU India’s National Newspaper in its print edition dated November 3^rd, 2008. It is available at:

http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/11/03/stories/2008110353491100.htm

However I copied and pasted that article here under for immediate reading.

Why the world dislikes America

Igor Bogdanov

The United States ought to become less anxious to change the world.

This is not the first time America has been accused of spreading an economic crisis worldwide

Globalisation spreads American mass culture with its inferior movies, conduct, manners and fast food

The world looks forward to Barak Obama’s presidency and will be bitter should John McCain win. The world is pinning its hopes on Mr. Obama. It expects him to change America. Meanwhile, America evokes a wide range of negative emotions in every continent — bitterness, irritation, scorn, hatred or, at least, sarcasm. Even those who think well of Americans speak of them with a smirk.

Will the world ever like them again? What should the United States do in order to be liked? How should its leadership and the nation change? Will the current crisis lead it toward the right conclusions? For an answer, you need to look at the roots of global anti-Americanism.

Crisis export

This is not the first time America has been accused of spreading an economic crisis worldwide. Look back to the summer of 1929. The world found the Americans too prosperous for their own good. Their money was a thorn in the world’s side. Many of the products they were exporting appeared to be innovations the world could do without. Autumn and winter 1929 came with a Wall Street crash. “Serves ’em right!” the world gloated. “They are exporting crisis!” it cried thereafter.

The world grew sympathetic with the bleak America of 1930-31 — with its Hunger Marches, soup- kitchens and street-fires to warm the homeless. Now America has another chance to win sympathy, though it is no longer the isolationist state with the smallest possible army it was at the start of the Dirty Thirties.

The best have it hottest

There was a superpower in the 19th century and up to the end of the Second World War. It was not America but Britain. The British Empire sprawled across five continents, taking up more than a third of the globe. It appeared implausible until the early 1940s that the empire could be hit even the slightest, let alone collapse.

Britons were admired, envied and disliked overtly or covertly. They were hated all the more for their extremely competent colonial management — and their racism. The empire made colour an all but insurmountable barrier between social estates, with every race living according to its own written and unwritten rules, though all were equal before the law. Britain was hated by the countries it colonised and by other colonisers — France, Holland and America.

The British Empire fell, and the prejudice gradually shifted to America.

Shining city

The Americans were never racists, though Afro-Americans in the U.S. faced insurmountable odds. But a superiority complex lies at the root of the American mentality and culture. America was from the beginning a New World for everyone to start from scratch when he fled the Old World with its preconceptions, social barriers and other age-old problems. America, “the shining city upon a hill,” thought it was called upon to set an example.

The majority of Americans still believes in the American Dream, which gives an impetus to the naïve conviction that American is best. When they failed to impose this conviction on others, it was met with a condescending smile. That was so before the U.S. turned into a superpower.

Anti-Americanism appeared with the first foreboding that Americanism would be imposed on other nations. Much of the world became anti-American by the end of the Second World War. Latin America was so by the end of the 19th century. The same can be said of old Cuba, the Philippines and other countries that were U.S. colonies for half a century. There, admiration for Uncle Sam went hand in hand with hatred.

A firm belief in American moral superiority justifies the neo-conservatives, who have had the say during the current presidency. Now they are suffering a moral setback while the financial crisis undermines American and global faith in the allegedly invincible economic concept of unlimited freedom of enterprise.

The concept of “the shining city,” however, still cements the multi-ethnic American community. It will hardly ever recede. Possibly, it will benefit America if it is no more a global superpower.

Anti-world

The U.S. has been from the start a land of immigrants, be they first-generation or tenth-generation. A population gathered from every part of the world gives it economic dynamism but is also a problem that whips up global anti-Americanism.

The problem takes root in the psychology of any immigrant community. People emigrate because they are unhappy in their own country. Many disagree not only with its government but also with a majority of the public.

Prejudice wears off with generations. Contemporary Americans of Italian ancestry hardly dislike the Berlusconi Cabinet or have anything against Italians in Italy. However, there are immigrant communities that make a dissident mosaic set against the rest of the world. These communities have an impact on the Administration and partly form public opinion. They influence U.S. foreign policy and so whip up anti-Americanism. Crisis or no crisis, this effect will remain part and parcel of American life for long.

Planting leaders

It has been America’s political custom to plant convenient national leaders all over the world. America does it on a greater scale than any other country, unblushingly. Not surprisingly, America has approached the status of the world’s only superpower with the strongest financial muscle. The 1990s saw this trend at its strongest.

King-making is an established American practice. There have been American puppets in many countries. The 1990s revealed a pattern in which the U.S. preferred national leaders who are weak and incompetent, and therefore obedient and dependent. This practice is a mighty instigator of global anti-Americanism. It will end if America can no longer afford such a policy, and the questionable leaders quit.

Big stick democracy

The Administration bases its foreign policy on the promotion of democracy and human rights. This boils down to political suicide. The idea is intrinsic to ideologised Americans, who believe in the “shining city.” But it inevitably leads to the U.S. bribing dissidents opposed to their own nation’s elites or authorities.

Dissidents usually snatch the opportunity to promote American values — and never mind that their propaganda exposes those values to hatred in their country. The logic is simple: a country that dares to set values and force them on others is fated to be disliked and hated, however excellent the values might be. So its local friends have support only from outside and entirely depend on the U.S. Anti-Americanism will dwindle if America gives up its Big Stick Democracy.

Other democracy

American public democracy differs from any other. The American ideology produces a sublimated version, so to say, of human equality. It stresses that lineage, education, ethnicity and so on do not matter in making one a full-fledged member of the community or a citizen of the world. As the American Dream has it, anyone can get rich, become President…

Such democracy brings unexpected fruits — it makes ordinary Americans conceited, and totally unlike, say, Western Europeans in terms of culture and education. Americans care little about the world around them and are not eager to know it; they are too sure America is better and stronger. This situation impacts elections and the choice of foreign policy, and compounds America’s problems. We can expect that the current crisis will make Americans see the world the way it really is, and gradually convince them to support a more rational foreign policy. That would enfeeble anti-Americanism.

Lifestyle

Globalisation spreads American mass culture with its inferior movies, conduct, manners, fast food… Mass culture has become the most lucrative American export. The less educated succumb to it the quickest.

We should not underestimate the resentment this promotion evokes in people from all walks and all sections of life. It can be assumed that the pressure of mass culture that is eroding the traditional culture was the root cause of the tragedy of 9/11.

What can change the American public? It has a chance to learn from the global crisis. It might change composition, with Anglo-Saxons losing priority to other people with other values. As a result, it might become less anxious to change the world. The world will change of itself — as we see now, globalisation may not only be European but also Asian, so American mass culture might lose its monopoly. When America becomes one of many key countries, it will no longer be pestered by unkind feelings of the world around.

— RIA Novosti

Well, the article published from behind the erstwhile Iron Curtain, and perhaps now a translucent curtain after the fall of Communism (Has it really fallen?), could be leftists view well articulated to portray their perception of certain traits and policies of other countries. Yet, the article does contain facts which cannot be ignored.

But then a view is a view which is certainly receiving the attention of the World and gaining wider acceptance. America’s credibility as a superpower has been dented beyond doubt.

At different fora of various group countries from G-7 to G-20, President-elect Barack Obama would be confronted with this picture of his Country that has transited from penumbra to umbra over a period. However there is a hope to get into bright light.

As in a Trade cycle, and so in economy of a country, there would be ups and downs. The path from nadir is to go towards zenith. That triggers the impetus.

Barack Obama’s victory has been well received by the educated in India, and the youth is especially exited. His books are fast selling, and there are many articles getting published in the media. An atmosphere of goodwill is slowly building up.

It is good to hear Obama saying his first priority is to Improve America’s economy. That could pave the way for improving its image.

Historic Triumph.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:34:00 +0000

It is a thumping victory for Sen. Barack Obama and he is all set to be the next President of U.S.A. This brings to a close all those acrimonious debates, discussions and anxiety across the globe. But the GREAT EXPECTATIONS of the Americans would loom large before him and the Democratic Party which has a majority in the senate and the house as well. Henceforth every move of theirs would be under scanner, and all their promises need to be fulfilled. That would be not only challenging but would be daunting. Let the leadership be not complacent.

Obama’s speech was rhetoric, inspiring and full of hope. He reiterated that together with American people- We can bring about change.

As my readers and fellow bloggers know that I am an Indian, live in Hyderabad, and have NO say in American elections. But I have an enormous interest in American people and admire their spirit of WE CAN. I am an admirer of Barack Obama. His Audacity of Hope has become true.

Frankly speaking, I did not like the media addressing leaders by their ethnic background. It smacks of discrimination and highlights the differentiation, which is really not necessary in any public context. After all Obama or McCain or any other leader are Americans first. This is not confined to America alone, but in India too such things are highlighted too often and then debated on it. It is just hypocrisy.

I always likened TEXAS to Adventure because of the cowboys. But in this election it was far from that image I had. I am aware it is a stronghold of the GOP, but to think away from the mainstream is an indication of averse to CHANGE.

I am reminded of a joke told to me by a Bengali Friend. He spent greater part of his life outside his home state of West Bengal, and finally chose to settle in Hyderabad. It was unlike of many Bengalis who love Kolkata and West Bengal as they pride in their intellectual skills. When asked why he preferred to settle in Hyderabad, he said- In the beginning, West Bengal use to think first, and India later, and now India thinks first and West Bengal never.

Does this logic apply to TEXAS?

At the outset, this US Presidential Elections would be remembered for a long time, not only for its history, but for its long duration of acrimonious debates over issues that were drifting America towards whirlpool.

I am hopeful the new leadership would steer the American Dream ship away from it towards a smooth and a pleasant sail.

The Isms.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:11:00 +0000

Monday, October 27, 2008

I was going through my book in which I recorded quotes of various authors that interested me as I read their books. I call the book collection of thoughts. This I have been maintaining for close to four decades.

Following the recent financial melt down, as they call it, there have been talks of capitalism coming to an end, and socialism being revived etc., etc., my friend Bobster posted an interesting blog- We have always been a socialist nation - (referring to America) in the Austin American-Statesman. His blog received as many as 27 comments as of writing this blog of mine. They were all interesting to read.

This reminded me the quotes of famous trial Lawyer, Late Louis Nizer, who summed up all the Isms in a humourous way in his book - Between you and me. Here they go:

Socialism: If you have two cows, you give one to your neighbour.

Communism: If you have two cows, you give them to the Government, and the government then gives you some milk.

Fascism: If you have two cows, you keep the cows; give the milk to the government, and then the government sells you some milk.

Nazism: If you have two cows, the government shoots you and keeps the cows.

Capitalism: If you have two cows, you sell one and buy a bull.

That BULL took a beating at the Wall Street, and similar ilk tumbled the world over.

Here is a lesson to be learnt. No one ISM lasts longer. Since World War II, the above mentioned Isms hitherto followed by different countries fell down as each surged ahead with its own developmental plans that did not stand with the passage of time.

As we all know that in modern times, the economy of a country determines its status as a developed or a developing country. That course of economy is largely influenced by the type of governance a country adopts. In other words, there is always a remote control that steers the economy. We have all seen the chaotic conditions the American economy is now in due to forces of market economy that went unregulated. The government had to step in with a bail out package.

The HINDU in its print edition of 25^th October, 2008 reported that Alan Greenspan, The former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman opined that the global financial crisis has exposed a mistake in the free market ideology. He admitted to a congressional committee saying I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interests of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in the firms.

I still feel free market ideology is preferable as it brings forth innovation, competitiveness, entrepreneurship and efficiency. But, it needs constant supervision and periodical checks in the form of regulations with government assuming the role of a watchdog. In other words Systems have to be strong.

So, a combination of Isms is required to make a strong economy. What Ism is to be applied depends upon each segment of the economy. The finance sector needs to be operated under strict supervision and regulations. I would call this tightfistism.

Viewed at a micro level, we all run our house affairs with those well defined isms. Think calmly, and I hope you agree with my views.

Removal of Employees.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:03:00 +0000

A couple of days back, Jet Airways removed 1900 employees, some of whom were on probation and some yet to be confirmed. All of them were in their early twenties. This came as a rude shock to them as they were handed over pink slips without any formal notice. Most of them were seen crying, and did not have words to explain. It was a pathetic scene.

Mustering courage a while later, they staged demonstration at Mumbai and Kolkata airports demanding their re-instatement. Some of them prevented transactions at the counters. Political leaders were quick to support them and threatened the Management that they would not permit the airlines to take off. The Civil Aviation Minister was taken by surprise and assured the employees that he would speak to the Management.

A report in THE HINDU dated October 16th, writes that according to the airlines Executive Director “These measures are to ensure that the airline remains economically viable in the future. The 1900 employees have to go to ensure the jobs of the remaining 11,000 jobs at jet.” Its CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer further states “The aviation Industry in India, a $6 billion turnover industry, is expected to lose $2 billion in 2008-2009. Its economic viability has been severely affected by the record high fuel prices and most recently due to the crisis of the financial markets globally and the downturn in traffic”.

This chunk removal came after Jet Airways forged an alliance with Kingfisher Airlines, its competitor. This added further fuel to the minds of the employees.

With pressure building all around for their reinstatement, Mr.Naresh Goyal, Chairman of the Jet Airways, withdrew the order saying they are “my family and can join work”. He said he is unaware of his management’s decision! If the Chairman is unaware of this decision, Its Management Information Systems are not in proper shape, and its decision making process appears defective. To hear this, is all funny and reveals how these Corporates work and take decisions.

In the wake of this Air India, the public sector airline and once the pride of India, offered a voluntary scheme to about 15,000 employees to go on leave for three to five years without pay. Where will they go? It is not only impetuous, but an insensitive decision.

It is a fact that the aviation Industry in India is passing through a crisis. Are the employees responsible for this?

It is shocking to learn that airline industry in India has approached the Civil Aviation Ministry for a staggering amount of Rs.5000 crores as relief to come out of the rut. It is reported that Jet airways and Kingfisher owe the oil companies Rs.2000 crores, and “all the airlines together owe Rs. 1000 crores to Airports Authority of India”. That is their credit worthiness!! They certainly need to look into themselves and their entire operations. There would be many areas where costs could be certainly pruned. Businesses could be run without indulging in extravaganzas, yet remain in competition with quality products and services. I was a Cost Accountant, and I say this out of experience.

A vast majority of urban middle class in India think twice before taking a flight on personal grounds. The air fare structure is still prohibitive, though of late passenger traffic is increasing steadily. The government and the airline industry need to sit together to revise the fare structure if they wish to make it competitive and affordable.

It is often observed that these Corporates, no matter to which industry they belong, they sack the employees first whenever they are faced with a financial crisis. Their salaries do not constitute a major part of the expenses. The middle management and the lower staff become victims to reckless business strategies of the top management, whose salaries are astronomical and NOT commensurate either with their intellectual abilities or decision making prowess.

The evidence is very much visible about the Chief Executives of top companies involved in the Finance melt down in America. They do not get sacked, and instead rewarded with “bail out package” out of tax payer’s money.

Many economic issues emanate from employees within the company, and as citizens outside the company. Many management gurus have stressed the importance of human resource as being the strength of a company. If it is true, then why fire the employees? Does not the top management have moral responsibility towards its employees who have contributed to the profits of the company? Where are the ethical practices?

In my opinion, the foreclosures to housing mortgage loans, which triggered the financial crisis in USA, could be attributed to the job cuts, job losses and employee removals. If their jobs are secured, the repayment could have been steady, and perhaps the crisis could not have taken place. A similar situation seems to be on the anvil in India.

The hire and fire policy en masse sometimes followed in the private sector needs to be reviewed. It is a different issue altogether if the company declares bankruptcy and close its business. Even then, the compensation package to the employees should be reasonable, just and adequate.

Political Views and Comments.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:23:00 +0000

Tuesday 14^th October, 2008.

I posted a blog on politics related topic about two years back on this site. I am touching upon it once again from a different perspective.

Politicians, political behaviour, political parties form an integral part of top governance of any country. They take up the role and occupy that seat of governance as per that country’s constitution. We may call the process as elections, or coup.

To remain in power, or to seek that seat of power, they set their own rules to follow in that game of politics. Once in power, their decisions affect the populace at macro and micro levels within their country and outside as well. They justify their actions with catchy words like being a ‘Super Power’ and for ‘Global well being’.

Their subjects- the powerless, the hapless citizens- use the only tool available to them, their own voice to express views orally and better through their pen. Using the electronic media, and the internet, the citizens react immediately to outpour views instantly.

As the decisions of the political leadership affect us, politics is one topic that attracts all. Like commercials in the TV channels, Politics engulfs us. So, we express our views. In expressing those views, we get emotional, take sides, and hurl abuses without any control. In this process, friction develops followed by more friction. What trigger’s our anger is the unscrupulous words and actions of these political leaders who do not walk their talk. Their behaviour has spread to their cronies and bureaucrats as well. Their combined actions result in crisis in every walk of life.

Certainly, our blood pressure shoots up, hearing and watching them. Is it worthwhile to lose our temper and spoil our health? To lose temper is fine, but allowing it to spoil our health-No. They are not going to come to our rescue.

All of us must exercise our right to express views and comment upon the views of others as well. Nothing wrong in this, and in fact a healthy debate could emerge that could become a force to reckon with. However, before expressing views and offering comments, if only we could see others viewpoint from their vision, that would only help understand the subject better.

Here is a classic example of how politicians, or shall I say National leaders accuse each other for the spurt in communal violence across the states in India in recent times.

The under mentioned report and extracts were published in the national newspaper- THE HINDU in its print edition of October 14^th, 2008.

At a meeting on 13^th October, 2008 in New Delhi, inaugurating the 14^th National Integration Council (NIC), India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressed Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers of states, leaders of National and state parties stating that terror attacks in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi and Jaipur and communal violence that erupted in Orissa and Karnataka need to be dealt with firmly, and there should be no compromise with terrorism and terrorists.

Dr. Singh said “Recent tragic events in Orissa, Karnataka, and Assam have pained all right-thinking persons. There are clashes between Hindus, Christians, Muslims, and tribal groups. An atmosphere of hatred and violence is being artificially generated. There are forces deliberately encouraging such tendencies and also spawning militant outfits who are engaged in irrational violence. These need to be firmly dealt with. At the same time, it is important that in trying to counter terrorism, wrong methods and means are not adopted. Any impression that any community or sections amongst them are being targeted or that some kind of profiling is being attempted should be avoided. This is vital, as otherwise it could lead a major polarization in society”.

The Newspaper further reported with a headline: Centre flayed for spurt in violence.

The report elaborates “The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)- CPI(M) led the charge against the government at the NIC meeting, citing entirely different reasons for the spurt in communal and caste violence in the country. While the BJP blamed the increasing violence on “vote bank politics” and “lack of political will” to tackle terrorism, the CPI (M) said lack of land reforms, regional imbalances, majoritarian communalism giving rise to minority communalism and neo- liberal economic policies were responsible for socio-economic conditions that led to strife and conflict between various groups of people.”

Well, what is the public view? All those in governance used choice words in the blame game. However, the fact remains, that terrorism and communal violence has been happening in parts of this country for decades.

As most situations are beyond our control, we, as peace loving citizens are justified in getting angry, but we should choose to express our anger in moderate terms rather than use abusive or intemperate language. This would be healthy for our mind and body.

Though I keep myself updated with news and events reading newspapers, magazines through print and online editions, I thought it wise NOT to dwell too much on the political scenario that keeps unfolding nationally and globally.

Watching Cartoon shows are fun and enjoyable with chuckles than getting irritated with the gimmicks of political stars.

Back To Blogging.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Sunday 12^th October, 2008.

It is more than five months since I posted a blog. For no apparent reason, the practice stopped. Neither I had a mental block nor did I lose interest in blogging. These things do happen as there are no compulsions or pressure to write. Whenever there is a respite, it gets stretched. I believe that is what happened.

I did ponder on this gap for the sake of analysis. I think the onset of summer then, and the high temperatures that prolonged well into a normal rainy season dampened my urge. Al Gore’s lectures on Global warming were on my mind. The weather then affected other habits too. Summer in the tropical regions is never pleasant. There are problems all around. Drought in some places, dip in power generation resulting in frequent power cuts, spiraling prices, add to our misery. There is a lack of interest in whatever we do. I felt that this summer season affected my mind and body as well. The disease- ALS - I am afflicted with was however progressing slowly and steadily. I knew this was god’s way, and I had no part in it. All I did was to hope for the best, and let the period pass away.

To keep my spirits up, my family members, my siblings, close relatives and friends were ever helpful in giving me advice and support. I took refuge in reading spiritual, and self help books. The inspirational messages that my friend was constantly sending through the net, and which in turn I shared with others helped me enormously from slipping into inertia.

Well, that was all about airing my inner feelings.

Be all that as they may be, I was keeping abreast of the news.

The events around the world keep happening. Nothing seems to stop them. Nature’s calmness and fury; men and women creating and making the news keep the people’s interests active and alive.

Barack Obama’s nomination for the Presidential Post by the Democratic Party, his speech in Denver; Choosing Senator Joe Biden as his running mate for Vice-President; senator Hillary Clinton’s unstinted support for Obama all seem to augur well for future of America.

The Texas administration’s steps in meeting the fury of the hurricane Ike is certainly praiseworthy. Evacuation of people from Galveston, reminded me of my visit to that small town way back in 2004, kindled my interest that much more. The photos - more than 300- placed by The Austin-American Statesman brought out the fury of the hurricane; the triumphs of the human spirit in a natural calamity, and the orderliness of the evacuation.

The current financial crisis that was brewing and originating from America was shocking. It unfolded the greed of some of the Wall Street’s Investment Bankers, undermined the banking system, and exposed the unregulated system. Despite protests from the American public, the bail out plan was passed, as if to reward those who were responsible for ruining the lives, careers and lifestyles of ordinary people.

In the name of innovation, schemes with fancy names were introduced luring the investors for speculative gains. American home loans and the EMI’s (Equated monthly installments paid by the people who took the loan) formed the source funds for these investment bankers to float in the market. The actions of these so called “Financial wizards” can be called “recklessness in the name of dynamism”. As of now, they are Scot free.

Finance and accounting is a fascinating subject that needs to be kept simple and understandable to a layman. Basic rules are to be followed with a conservative outlook. After all the banks are dealing with others’ money and those small investors part their money reposing TRUST. And that needs to be repaid by all means. Hopefully I aim to write more on this topic.

India and America signed the nuclear deal after lot of lobbying. In India, opinion is divided on the need for the n-power now. Much can be said on either side. What remains a scene in India is that many projects go lethargic after initial euphoria due to lax work ethics. This sweeping statement could sound cynical. If pondered, many would sigh with a remark that “nothing works in India satisfactorily”. Why so?

Many major decisions taken are political in nature, and there are always forces opposing them, just to be recognised. In every act of living, hurdles are placed for pecuniary benefits. The Indian psyche is to violate a rule. We lack self-discipline, be it at home or in Parliament. I say this with profound sadness.

A classic example in recent days is the shifting of Nano car project by the most respected corporate giant -The Tatas- from Singur, a place 20 miles north of kolkatta in the state of West Bengal to Sanand, a city 10 miles west of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat i.e., from east to west. This is due to the protests by the principal opposition party- the trinamool congress. It is a pity that it had to be shifted at a time when the much awaited car was to roll out soon. The concerned opposition leaders are insensitive to the loss incurred by many associated with the project. Much can be written on this issue. That would only highlight the disgusting scenario.

Amidst all this, Asian Indians are god fearing and resilient. Belief in Hindu Philosophy, its religion, its scriptures keep us binding despite upheavals. All Hindu festivals are celebrated with fervour and gaiety. People visit temples as often as they can, and more so during festivals. One such festival- Dasara is celebrated all over India, for ten days. This year, 2008, it began on September 30^th and ended on 9^th October. Shankar Math, named after Philosopher saint Adi Shankara, is one of the branches located about 5 miles from my house, which has the divinity of knowledge, Goddess Sharada as the deity. Visiting this temple and worshiping the goddess all these ten days is an integral part of our life. It is a matter of pride that my wife and her elder sisters have been offering worship for over 35 years continuously for all round welfare. Every year the number of devotees is increasing. During the festival period, the temple authorities feed thousands in a well organized way, besides performing the daily rituals.

I am dedicating this blog to my daughters, close relatives and friends, who have been constantly reminding me to get back into the habit of posting blogs regularly to keep my mind active- usefully!!

I hope to maintain the habit despite progression of ALS- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Ushering Changes through New Software.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:20:00 +0000

In the preface to the second edition of the book - The Road Ahead - Bill Gates writes that he works in the software industry, where change is the norm. Any software, as in life, requires upgradation with new features and improvements. The customers, and those affected by the changes too need to be flexible to adapt to them. This is fine. But, any changes should also not be complicated for the users to understand. Even a dummy, like me, should be able to understand and adapt. Those features in the old software which are essential need to be preserved and left untouched. A little deft changes here and there, would give a new look to them as well.

This is similar to rearranging the furniture in the house for a fresh look to relieve the monotonous appearance.

The recent changes to the reader’s blogs brought in by The Austin-American Statesman, where I post my blogs, has a few new features which are welcome, and have potential to become popular. At the same time, certain old features have been removed, which the Internet editor is considering to retain them in the overall scheme of Changes. I appreciate the Paper for its flexibility to adapt to the feedback from its readers. Right now, I do get confused while navigating through some of its new features, but hope to get familiarized with it soon. I am looking for a new simple URL to my blog. Though tinyurl does give a new identity, it is devoid of statesman tag. There is no aura about it.

Here is a lesson to all of us in the form of a reminder. In every walk of progress, we need to adapt and surge ahead together. A simple lesson we all forget repeatedly. Every nation in every continent in present times ignores this. Be it super power America, India, China, or a tiny Kingdom - Nepal.

In the name of being independent, many joint families in India are disintegrating, and the outcome is pathetic. Value systems are broken, redefined to suit to their needs, and morals are taking the road to nadir.

Changes in the name of reforms need to be steady, and initiated step by step. This is a good thinking, and sadly human nature does not always think so. Sometimes, the ushering of changes rebound with criticism, and in the process of answering critics, the changes are diluted much to the dismay of those ushering them.

But, changes need to be initiated, and how well it is initiated depends on the attitude and adaptability of partners to the change.

On a Detour.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 06:45:00 +0000

It is more than a month since I posted a blog, which habit I indulged for close to two years now to keep myself partly busy in a sedate life pattern due to physical immobility. I now move in a wheel chair within my house. I was spending a great deal of time reading magazines, newspapers online; sending and receiving mails; and browsing the net. Yet, posting a blog does give me pleasure and satisfaction.

Other habits of mine are reading books; solving sudoku and crossword puzzles; reading magazines on travel, sports, and general. As no other person is involved in these activities, I derive greater pleasure since the feelings were equally shared by the author and me in silence. Currently I am reading a voluminous book on one of the Hindu epics. I am taken to a different world altogether, where god’s way of thinking dominates, and all his sermons engulf me with peace.

I feel the interchange of these habits, is similar to taking detours when we drive on a highway. Sometimes, we are directed to take the detour by the sign boards, indicating repairs on the highway, or we change our direction at the spur of the moment by our instincts when we feel like seeing nearby places of attraction.

In my case, may be it’s a coincidence that on many occasions, the detours occurred while driving, and every time it was adventurous, unforgettable, and pleasant. Last time, the detour occurred when we were returning from Niagara Falls to Detroit. The detour drive was almost an hour that took us to nature’s beautiful sceneries, amid small towns with the folks waving at this unexpected flow of traffic through their towns.

Much can be learnt from these escapades, though it does interfere with our routine. It is worth while. We do not get to travel on long journeys quite often to take these detours. But sitting at home, frequent detours are possible. Thanks to the fickleness of the mind.

My mind takes me on such tours more often than not. In fact I allow it. I found this is one way of learning and exposing your mind to new ideas and rejuvenated thought process. The state of boredom is pushed aside. These periodical mental detours keep your mind fresh, make it vibrant, and keep it in balance. They are better antidotes than anti- depression tablets.

Very often I read articles on the problems faced by retired people about difficulty in spending their time. I hear many of them say “They have to do something”. My advice to them would be - Do those things which you could not do in your life so far. Take detours, you will come across interesting aspects of life, hitherto unexplored.

My advice to those in career life - Indulge in frequent physical detours to keep your mind well lubricated, well energized to get back on your career highway with your mind on full throttle. What sort of Detours? Visit new places; meet friends, relatives, and people from different walks of life. All of them have some better things to offer. The most powerful devils in your mind - EGO and GREED - slowly disappear. Just try.

Government’s Annual Budgets.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:03:00 +0000

Though I am from the Finance profession, the annual budgets of the government never interested me. I always felt that they are political in substance, and in supportive of the policies of the party that is in power at that point of time. The sops announced are normally before elections and a mean to perpetuate their rule and get back to power.

The way billions and trillions of country’s currency is spent or waived makes me wonder whether any morals are followed in preparing those budgets. In my view, it is a huge financial misappropriation, and no one is made accountable or answerable. The usual audit objections and resultant queries are not really taken serious and never subjected to investigations. All of them are looked into. Public memory is short on these aspects, and finally any committee’s reports gathers dust or get into archives.

I hasten to add that the preparation of this huge document is essential to run the government, and is a great guidance for the economy to run on macro levels. But, the propriety of some basic financial principles is given a go by, thereby eroding public trust in its governance.

You begin to wonder- Whose money is being squandered? And who has given them the power to do as they like? You cannot say that the public has voted us. But, an ordinary citizen is brushed aside with scorn, and with a villainous smile.

That is why these budgets do not interest me.

Boorish Behaviour.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:02:00 +0000

I have been reading Australian Newspapers online regularly, for over three months now. The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian, and The Daily Telegraph are the main papers I read. My interest got stirred up by the Cricket matches that India played Australia on their soil. My reading was not confined only to cricket matches, but also to know Australian’s life style, culture, and how the media covers them.

Well the coverage and reporting by media is no different than in other parts of the world. They highlight crime, Politics, and international news on its front pages, along with briefs on sports. It was articles on cricket I focused.

The Indian tour of Australia just ended, with India winning the One Day internationals series over Australia. It was a big moment in the history of Indian Cricket. There was great euphoria over this win, with the Indian cricketers becoming millionaires with prize money showered by the Cricket Board.

What was sad about the tour was the behaviour of very few of the players on both sides. The Australian Cricketers are known for sledging on field to apply mental pressures on players to disturb their concentration. Some of the Indian Cricketers, when provoked, retaliated, bringing the game to acrimonious levels. Some of them got away with reprimands, and with fines. The Australian spectators were seen booing the cricketers, and the media blowing the issues out of proportion. Some of the newspapers were highly one sided, and often biased in reporting.

Though the cricketers exhibited excellent skills, and raised their performance to incredible heights, their overall behaviour was annoying, and not worth speaking about. Several Australian Sportsmen called for “fundamental courtesies and manners” to prevail on and off the field.

This boorish behaviour is not confined to Cricket arena alone, but indulged even in parliaments of countries, by its members, often coming to blows inside the house in front of the speaker, disregarding the appeals for calm. A few days ago, Speaker of the Lower house of Indian Parliament, in deep anguish, said some of the members are finishing democracy!

I read reports of such behaviour in the parliaments of communist countries, and some of the other countries as well. The members get away with such behaviour, claiming some immunity or the other.

Some of all this is shown on TV and the scenes evoke response of amusement, annoyance and sheer repulsion.

No wonder, such behaviour percolates to all levels of the society, to homes, thus causing strained relations, and aberrations in cultures.

I would blame the education system that has been infringed by politicians with lop sided priorities in their governance. With a will to win at any cost, greed in acquiring wealth quickly, the morals necessary to uphold certain traditional values have been consigned to dust.

The words “Discipline” and “Self-Discipline” are being redefined. The disciplined breed are being referred as persons not competitive, laid back, introverts, noncombatants, and above all dullards!

What a pity and tragedy!

An author of a book (I do not remember) writing about discipline in public, said that “discipline is not only how to speak, what to speak and when to speak, but also how to dress, what to dress, and when to dress is also important”.

These lines are far away and inaudible to those believing in irrational, boorish behaviour.

Austin-Hyderabad Connection.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:26:00 +0000

A news item, under the headline - City Of Austin - EMRI ink pact - in the Sunday edition of THE HINDU, dated March 2^nd, 2008, caught my attention, and gave me a little pleasure. It read as follows:

City of Austin in Texas in the United States Of America and one of the best performers in running the ‘911’ emergency, on Saturday became a strategic partner with ‘108’, the service run by the Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI).

An MoU to this effect was signed by Pete Collins, Chief Information Officer in the City Of Austin and Venkat Changavalli, CEO, EMRI at a function here. Under the MoU, the Combined Transportation Emergency & Communication Centre (CTECC) that runs ‘911’ in Austin and EMRI will share knowledge and processes for better emergency management.

Mr. Collins described the CTECC in Austin as a centre where the police, fire, and emergency management technicians worked together in a facility spread over 80,000 square feet. CTECC has as partners, the city of Austin, Travis county, Texas Department of Transportation and the Capital Metro Transit Agency, he said.

In his presentation, Mr. Venkat Changavalli said ‘108’ had saved 25,000 lives after attending to 6 lakh emergencies since August 1, 2005.It had recently started operation in Gujarat with 80 ambulances and would, in a week, sign up to offer services in Uttarkhand, he said, going on to add that by the end of December, 2008, EMRI would have covered four states with 3,000ambulances.

I am aware of this service getting popular in Hyderabad, though I did not get an occasion to use it. I did see their ambulances speeding on the roads in the congested undisciplined traffic of Hyderabad. I must confess that majority of the motorists driving in Hyderabad, do not follow traffic rules. Very often, there are traffic jams. One does require patience and skills to get through the traffic snarls. I always wondered how these ambulances wade through these traffic jungles.

Be that as it may, the news item did give me a tingling sensation that Austin is connected with Hyderabad!

I do look forward to the day when there are direct flights to Austin from Hyderabad. It would augur well for both the cities, in terms of business opportunities and making friends.

Kosovo, Telengana, and Me.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:00:00 +0000

It’s about a fortnight since Kosovo, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. This was recognised by America and some countries of the European Union. Serbia and Russia are naturally upset and opposing. The move by Kosovo is a result of oppression, as the Kosovars feel. I will come to that story a little later.

Telengana

Telengana is a region within the State of Andhra Pradesh in India. This region was under Nizam’s rule before it became part of Andhra Pradesh during state’s formation on the basis of Telugu Language. The dialect of Telugu spoken in this region is slightly different, for it got evolved over a period with words of Urdu getting mixed. Even so, it is not difficult to understand. The dialect in other regions is also unique to that region. As a matter of fact, no one can say the world over, that their dialect of their language is pure.

Telengana has a History, like any other region. Ever since it became unified with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, the people of the region felt discriminated and raised many complaints of not developing their region. Their demand for a separate state was always on the cards, and is gaining momentum these days. There are several factors to be taken into consideration for formation of a separate state. Many within the state are divided in opinion. Ordinary law abiding citizens see the issue as instigated by selfish leaders for political gains.

Whichever party that came to power at the center, has, in my opinion took decisions by and large in the interest of the Indian people who belong to different religions with innumerable castes. Touch wood, India believes Unity in diversity. I can say with pride, way of living is unique in India. I hope the uniqueness continues.

I was born before India’s independence, before formation of Andhra Pradesh State, in Machilipatnam town, off the coast of Bay of Bengal. The town lay in the coastal region of present state of Andhra Pradesh. In all my life so far, I might have spent about six months in that town over a period. Yet, I am fond of my birth place. I now live in Hyderabad (Telengana Region), capital of Andhra Pradesh, a bare 350 Kms (219 miles), northwest of it.

I grew up in Delhi and Chennai for 28 years, and since 35 years I am in Hyderabad. In between, I visited several cities in India, and visited USA thrice. I speak Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and English fluently, and can understand Bengali, Kannada, Punjabi, and Urdu to a reasonable level.

The way the politicians in some regions in India are demanding separate state, citing reasons that the local people are being deprived of jobs by the migrants from other states; are being oppressed; their regions are not being developed, so on and so forth. Their main aim is to come to power by any means, more often than not by instigating violence.

I am taking me as an example. There are millions of Indians, educated and illiterate, who, like me migrated from city to city by accident, by choice, by compulsion.

To which state I belong? Let me analyse with humour.

I was born in coastal region, but never lived there, so I do not belong to it. I lived in Delhi and Chennai. Since I am not born there, I am not a local, nor is my native language Hindi or Tamil. So, they do not want me in their states. I am an outsider in the Telengana region. My accent of speaking Telugu or English does not go in tandem with the local dialects. So, I could be thrown out.

Where do I go? Even my dead body cannot be buried anywhere, if the same logic goes. The body also cannot be flown and dumped either in Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, or in the Himalayas. Because, the states may object to flying over their territories! In which case, God has to lift me physically into his domain. I hope he will do so.

Doesn’t all this appear and sound weird?

But that is the way, politicians are looking at issues with a narrow vision, disregarding human element.

Kosovo

There is some similarity between India and erstwhile Yugoslavia, so far complexities are concerned.

In the Book LANDS AND PEOPLES, a set of six volumes published (1985) by Grolier Inc., Danbury, CT, Yugoslavia is described in one of the paragraphs as follows:

A popular formula that helps to simplify the complexities of modern Yugoslavia states that it is a nation of six republics, five nationalities, four languages, three religions, two alphabets, and one party - the league of communists of Yugoslavia.

The six republics that make up Yugoslavia are Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Serbia is the home of Yugoslavia’s largest minority group - Albanians who live in the autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohilja.

The five related south Slav peoples who live in the six republics are the Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Montenegrins, and Macedonians. The four languages most widely spoken are Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, and Macedonian. The three religions are Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Islam. The two alphabets are Latin and Cyrillic.

The Yugoslavians have been living as ONE nation with all these republics, and each of the regions has been enjoying certain political and cultural autonomy.

But with the fall of communism, this nation slowly got disintegrated, following the secession of most of the republics. The last to get separated was Montenegro.

Now, Kosovo, a province in Serbia, with ethnic Albanian majority, seceded. The ethnic Albanians were mostly followers of Islam. The Serbian minority in the Kosovo Province had a mix of Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.

The Serbian majority did oppress the ethnic Albanians brutally until the NATO forces bombed and brought the Kosovo province under its fold. That was in 1999. The West promised then that The Kosovo issue would be solved amicably with Serbia so far as the sharing of power was concerned, and that Kosovo would not secede from Serbia.

With this unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo, Serbia is up in protest with support from Russia. Serbia and the Serbian minority in Kosovo consider the region as “the heartland of Serbian history and culture”, and unable to foresee a future without Kosovo.

The whole issue has become complex, and would involve considerable diplomatic skill to arrive at a solution. Could the issue lead to instability in the region?

My View

It is a reality of life that people migrate from one region to the other within a country, and from a country to another for better standard of living. In the process they carry their religion, and perhaps follow it in a new environment if allowed. Over a period of time, from a minority status, they could become a majority in that region. Their faith, beliefs and their desires may form a factor for governance, which could lead to a Type of government, Autocratic or Democratic. To remain in Power, Political opportunism by their leaders could alter their fate or even new borders could get created within which they may be forced to live. This new position may alter their status from a minority to a majority, and vice versa. In the process of this transition, sometimes help of other countries is sought, or they themselves interfere to exercise their presence, and influence in those regions for domination.

Innocent people suffer because of this power play. Their emotions, bond with the region, their culture is totally disregarded. What for?

The order and practice of the day seems to split countries, split territories, split people’s cultures, and usher new type of rule and civilization.

Is this the change the peace loving people are looking for, and deserve?

God Knows.

Material referred: lands and Peoples- A Grolier Inc., publication; www.wikipedia.org; Articles from International Herald Tribune; The Hindu, and the Internet.

Pakistan Verdict.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:14:00 +0000

On reading the poll verdict in Pakistan, it shows that its people have cleverly NOT given a clear mandate to any one party to usher in democratic rule for their country, lest it become autocratic. In my view, they want the parties not only to rule and behave democratically, but also to breathe democracy in future. They have emphatically voiced their opinion against religious fundamentalism, and military authoritarianism. They expect religion, and military to perform their roles in the areas meant for them and NOT mix with governance of the country.

After the elections, it is a practice of every party to pat their backs, and draw their own biased lessons. They shut their eyes to realities, and flounder in governance thereafter only to be defeated at the next hustings.

As per newspaper reports, The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with 87 seats, The Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) with 66 seats, Pakistan Muslim League -Q (PML-Q) with 38, and the other smaller parties, the rest out of 272 seats. Some call it a hung verdict, but the trend is clear.

The PPP, though in majority, have to seek the help and co-operation of PML-N, to run the government as coalition. It is too early to predict its performance. But, both the parties have to exhibit maturity, and solve many issues with caution and wisdom for the betterment of that country. It would be in their interest to tread on a friendly path in every walk of life.

The Benazir Bhutto sympathy wave though not effective, has given that party a lead in the seats. Nawaz sheriff, keeping aside his past, did exhibit sincerity in espousing the major issues, like reinstatement of the judiciary, and reversing the constitutional amendments ushered illegally by Musharraf. Both the parties appear to take the path of vengeance against Musharraf. That remains to be seen.

Credit must be given to Musharraf for conducting the elections without violence, and fairly as promised by him. Because of this act, the other parties got the seats they have now. The Result, though a setback for him, Musharraf is indirectly sounding a pardonable approach to be taken toward him, probably with the help of U.S. Administration.

Do the Pakistani people want that? It appears so, for the party he backed did get some seats. Should he be pardoned? It would be better he steps down. Leaders may be ruthless, but people are more sympathetic.

The role played by U.S. Observers during the elections would become debatable in due course, although they conducted themselves with dignity, and have not influenced the voters. The question that could be raised is - Would the U.S.Government allow outsiders as Poll observers during their ensuing Presidential elections? It is a changing world, and new demands are being raised. Thanks to the internet, Awareness on issues is growing.

The media in India did cover all the events, as the verdict is equally important to the bilateral relations between the heads of both the governments. All these years, since partition, there was belligerent attitude adopted by the Pakistani leaders. The country did not economically prosper, even though it was an ally of the U.S. It is a puzzle.

Many in India are happy about the democratic thinking of Pakistani people, and their resilience to withstand dictatorship rule for several years. It is time for the Pakistanis living abroad to pass on their experiences to their fellow citizens back home what it is like living in a democratic ruled country.

The country now appears to have just come out of the pit of turmoil, and would certainly look towards making it a nice place to live, free from terrorists, and free from danger.

U.S.Polls: Work for Psephologists, and all.

noreply@blogger.com (Venkata Madhusudan Mutlur) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 12:34:00 +0000

There is enough statistical data that is available to Democratic Party at the week end after Super Tuesday to understand the trend and strength of candidate’s chances for getting nominated to the coming US Presidential Elections. Yet, till its convention is over, the official nominee would not be known. There may or may not be deals. But the contest has created enormous interest like a suspense thriller. The participation by the delegates is praiseworthy. They want to choose an able leader, and looking for a “Change”. That is for sure.

With Mitt Romney, opting out of the race from Republican Party’s nomination, John McCain would be that Party’s candidate, who would be facing either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Permutations and combinations are already on for that crucial election, and the psephologists have to burn midnight oil to come up with predictions. How fantastic the whole show is turning out to be!

There is an English idiom - Birds of a feather flock together. Its applicability is visible whenever elections are held across states and country, anywhere in the world.

The contesting candidates also aim at garnering those votes with rhetoric’s appropriate to the situation. It is a fact of life that a candidate’s root in terms of race flashes in the mind of voters, though it ought not to be the factor at all. The thought is a despicable one in my view. But then reality is different and truth is bitter.

The voters’ preference and choice would change if the contest is between Obama and McCain, as also if the contest is between Hillary Clinton and McCain. There would be cross voting. That would lead to splits in the voting pattern within states and across the United States. The hitherto weak and strong states of Clinton, as also that of Obama would undergo a change that could prove decisive against McCain.

With Mitt Romney out of the race, those remaining delegates of the Democratic Party would have to rethink as to who would be a strong candidate from their party to fight McCain. So, the priorities would shift.

Barack Obama is the youngest of the three in the fray now, and a new face for the American’s to decide. Why and Why not? History of that country has precedence in electing JFK, and his leadership is an example. His words “Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for the country” should ring aloud in the ears of Americans. This is the time to show what you can do for your country.

Hillary Clinton is different than the other two by gender. That should not matter. Women have that sixth sense to play safe and put forth their views strongly to make others fall in line through emotional appeals. Why not? Former Prime Minister of United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher is a classic example, whose leadership earned her the nickname “Iron Lady”; Before her, Prime Minister of Israel Late Golda Meir got that nickname too; and India’s erstwhile Prime minister late Smt. Indira Gandhi, whose decision to impose emergency, though jolted the then opposition, proved a point that a woman is capable of taking tough decisions, and can withstand in a male dominated game, when it comes to the question of governance.

John McCain is a seasoned senator, well admired for his forthright views on several issues. But sometimes, his experience could work against him. The world is fast changing with peoples’ expectations soaring high; the economic reforms the world over is bringing about a shift in Power base; could the traditional views hold high under the circumstances? There is a generation gap in viewing the perspectives.

The voter is in a dilemma. But a decision has to be made, keeping aside personal emotions, passions and blind faith. Pragmatism and wisdom could be among the factors to cast a vote. It is very interesting to observe that loyalties and opinions are divided amongst families, amongst friends, amongst countries not only in USA, but outside too.

My wife thinks that the post of President of USA should go to a male that would be befitting in the present conditions. Women should be behind the scenes. Age old thinking?

As for my opinion- I tossed a coin in the air, and it is still hanging there, defying laws of gravity.